Put simply, England, 1-0 up after their latest Headingley heist in the series opener, are confident, composed and eyeing up another victory that would quicken chat of a potential 5-0 whitewash.
Less than 22 hours before the start of the second Test, Shubman Gill, their young captain who lost his first game in charge last week in gut-wrenching fashion as England chased down 371 at Headingley, was unable to confirm whether Bumrah would be playing again here.
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Somewhere along the line, someone in the touring party misplaced the memo about England’s Bazballers not doing draws.
The smart play would be to continue with Bumrah in Birmingham and look to square the series 1-1.
These second and third Tests are back to back with just four days separating them.
But his back issues mean if he plays in Birmingham, there is no way he will take the field in north London next week.
Bumrah failed to take a wicket in the second innings of the first Test at Headingley (Photo: Getty)
Making the plan public, though, after losing the first Test has not helped their situation.
Yet Gill was also unable to reveal the identity of his replacement, confirming India need to take another look at the pitch before making a call in the evening before the match starts.
Predictably for an India camp who appear to be making their plans up as they go along, Sundar looks like the favourite to play.
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The first signs of things potentially unravelling came in the minutes after the Headingley defeat when head coach Gautam Gambhir scolded an Indian journalist who, looking for a positive line, asked a gentle question about Rishabh Pant scoring two centuries in the match.
Gill also ceded tactical calls in the field to Bumrah, Pant and KL Rahul as he struggled to exert his authority.
There also seems a general air of incredulity about how flat the pitches in England are this summer among the Indian camp and media following the team.
This is also the last ground India would want to travel to at this time, too, given that they have never won here.
England know they have India right where they want them. Win here and the whitewash is on.
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